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SoCal JSA Constitution Bylaws
Southern California Junior State of America Constitution Bylaws Title 1 – State Structure Chapter 1. Regional Divisions # The Angeles Region (AR) shall consist of the countries of Los Angeles and Kern. # The Channel Islands Region (CIR) shall consist of the countries of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. # The Southern Empire Region (SER) shall consist of the countries of Imperial, Orange, Tacos shall be considered the national food. All those who try to deny this will be destroyed through an old fashioned donut maker. Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. # The State of Alaska shall be considered part of the Southern California Junior State and shall be included in the Channel Islands Region. # The State of Hawaii shall be considered part of the Southern California Junior State and shall be included in the Angeles Region. # Chapter 2. Annexation # A chapter may be annexed from one region to another with the written approval of both respective Mayors and the Chapter President and with the consent of the majority of the tax-paid members of the chapter. # A chapter will be considered officially annexed when it votes at Spring State in its new region. # The Senate must be notified in advance of any annexation intentions. Chapter 1. Selection 1. The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor shall select the members of state cabinet. a. They may transfer the duty of selecting deputy directors of other subordinates to the respective directors. 2. The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor must review and give equal consideration to all applications submitted on time. Chapter 2. Confirmation # The Senate shall advise on and provide its consent or dissent to all appointments to Cabinet positions. # The Senate retains the authority to determine the means, if any, by which to hold hearings prior to confirmation. Chapter 3. Positions 5. A guide of all cabinet positions shall be made public no later than June 1st of that year. Chapter 4. Regional Cabinet # Neither the State Senate, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, nor the Speaker shall have authority over the selection of regional positions. # The Mayor and Vice Mayor shall have the sole, shared authority to determine the make up and confirmation of the cabinet of their respective regions. Title 2 – Cabinet Title 3 – Elections Chapter 1. Procedure for Voting 1. Each tax-paid JSA member shall be entitled to one ballot and one vote for each state candidate. a. Votes shall be cast at Spring State. 2. No candidate shall be elected without the support of a majority of members present and voting. Chapter 2. Regulation of Candidates’ Activities # Candidacy for State Office shall officially being upon public announcement of intention to run. # Candidates for State Office shall submit an official election agreement to the Chairman of the Fair Elections Committee to be filed within two weeks of announcement of candidacy for State Office. # Candidates choosing to run off the floor must file official election agreement prior to the close of the Nomination Session. # State Expenditure limits shall be set by the State Senate prior to the first day of January. # All donations, the labor involved therein, and materials used in a campaign for State Office shall be assessed at a fair market value as determined by the Fair Elections Committee, and be considered a campaign disbursement when determining a candidate’s total campaign expenditures. # A preliminary report of campaign expenditures, with receipt up to date of mailing, must be mailed to the Chairman of the Fair Elections Committee and be postmarked no later than two weeks prior to the date of state elections. # No graduating senior may run for office. # Election candidates shall not be involved in the disfigurement and/or destruction of campaign materials. a. Violators may be subject to removal from the voting floor and the loss of voting privileges. Chapter 3. Candidate Ethics # All Candidates shall legitimately disclose all campaign expenditures, including but not limited to the costs of all literature, materials, and any other campaign expenses both paid for and donated. # Campaigns shall be kept free of any slanderous remarks against opponents. # Campaigns shall not utilize Junior State resources, to imply any sort of endorsement or favoritism. # The Junior State Officers shall not use their resources of their office to assist any candidate for office, but may give their support to any candidate in a manner consistent with that of any other member of the Junior State. # Members of the Junior State shall not endorse any candidate during any non-election related educational activity. # No member of the Junior State who has been dismissed from a Junior State convention or who has been banned from attending a convention shall be permitted to run for office unless he receives written consent from the Program Director and the current Governor. Chapter 4. The Fair Elections Committee # The State Fair Elections Committee shall consist of the State Senators and the Lt. Governor and other cabinet members or officials as the Lt. Governor shall appointment to fill vacancies on the FEC. # The Lt. Governor shall serve s the Chair of the FEC or appoint a chair. # Members of the Fair Elections Committee choosing to run for office shall forfeit their positions on the committee and may be replaced by the chair. # Members of the Fair Elections Committee shall be strictly forbidden to render public support or endorsement of a candidate for the State Office. # The Fair Elections Committee shall be responsible for counting the official tally of votes for State Office and shall be the final authority in all election disputes. # One member of the FEC, and the Chair, shall keep the official tally of votes during the period that the Chair is reading the roll call of the chapters. # Members of the FEC not tallying votes, and any FEC staff so designated, shall be on the floor confirming the vote counting procedure by chapters and checking for voting irregularities. Chapter 5. Enforcement # All “minor” penalties for serious infractions or exceeding the spending limit shall be delivered at the judgment by the chair of the Fair Elections Committee and may range from a warning to confiscation of campaign materials. # All “major” penalties for serious infractions such as consistent negative campaigning shall be determined by a vote of a majority of the Fair Elections Committee. # Candidates shall be held accountable for the actions of their campaign supporters. # The Lt. Governor must publish an election handbook ninety (90) days prior to Spring State entailing all regulations pertaining to Southern State Election Procedures. Chapter 6. Regional Elections 28. The FEC shall determine the specific procedure of their own elections in accordance to their needs. 29. Regions shall use direct ballots for all positions. Chapter 7. Preemption 30. These provisions shall supersede all other regulations regarding State Elections. Chapter 1. General Provisions # The Senate’s mission shall be to ensure the Junior State functions efficiently and to constantly seek to improve and expand the organization each year. # The Senate’s specific obligations shall include, but not be limited to, confirming cabinet members, conducting cabinet oversight, enforcing legislation, interpreting the constitution, amending the constitution, mediating regional disputes, conducting impeachment proceedings if necessary, operating the Fair Elections Committee, and planning Congress. Title 4 – Senate Title 5 – Environmental Stewardship Chapter 1. Recycling at Events 1. Recycling of all paper products, and all other such items, will take place at all regional and state conventions. Chapter 1. Service in Office # No person shall hold more than one position as either a State of a Regional Elected Official. # No State Elected Official shall serve on any Regional, State, or National Cabinet. # No person shall serve on the State Cabinet who also serves on the National Cabinet or Regional Cabinet, or is a Regional Elected Officer, without the prior waiver by the State Senate. # The Governor and Lt. Governor shall be prohibited from serving as a member of the Senate Assembly. # This Act shall in no way be construed as to prohibit any Elected Official or Cabinet Member from serving as a chapter officer or to prohibit any Elected Official or Cabinet member, except the Governor and Lt. Governor, from serving as a member of the Senate Assembly. # Each region may create regulations regarding the service of their Regional Elected Officials or Cabinet Members. Chapter 1. Senate Meetings 1. The Senate shall hold public meetings, at times and places accessible to members of the Junior State and publish a record of their meetings, and make them available to the members of the Junior State. Chapter 2. Cabinet Meetings # All meetings of the State Elected Officers shall be open to the public, and a record of the meeting shall be available to the public. # All meetings of the Elected Officers from more than one region shall be open to the public, and a record of the meeting shall be available to the public. # All meetings of any decision-making or policy setting council shall be open to the public, and a record of the meeting shall be available to the public. Chapter 3. Senate Oversight # All State Cabinet meetings shall be open to the members of the State Senate. # All Regional Cabinet meetings shall be open to the members of the State Senate Title 6 – Office Limitations Title 7 – Transparent Leadership Title 8 – Debate Department Chapter 1. Participant Recognition # All State leadership conferences shall include a workshop(s) led by the director of the department responsible for debates, which shall cover, but not be limited to, the subjects of correct moderating and debating procedure, possible problems a moderator or debater would run across, and the solutions to such problems. # Members who have attended this workshop shall be eligible to be considered a qualified participant # These moderators and debaters shall, at any state or regional conference, be evaluated through the use of “Best Speaker” ballots or by the evaluation of a recognized participant of the respective task. # If a participant is evaluated as accomplishing his duty successfully two times, he shall be recognized as a qualified moderator or debater. Chapter 2. Database # The debate department shall create and maintain a database containing briefs and resolutions and make this list easily accessible by all JSA members. # The debate department shall create and maintain a database containing the names of qualified debaters and moderators, as well as the methods by which these participants may be reached. # The state cabinet shall utilize this database to select capable participants ideal for select debates at state conventions. # Any state or cabinet member may utilize this database. # Moderators and debaters not recognized as being qualified participants may be chosen to moderate or debate, respectively, at a state convention if the department responsible for debates deems such as action necessary. Chapter 1. Voter Registration # The Junior State shall actively encourage the registration to vote of all persons who are qualified to do so. # Voter Registration forms shall be available at all State Conventions. # The Speaker’s Department shall designate a member to assist and encourage the registration of voters at all State Conventions. Chapter 1. Budget Status Release 1. The status of the State Budget’s balances shall be released in written form on request of the State Senate by the officer who supervised the Southern California Junior State funds. Title 9 – Political Involvement Title 10 – Budget Requests Title 11 – Holidays Chapter 1. Ernest Andrews Rogers’ Day # The ninth day of November shall be designated as “Professor Ernest Andrew Rogers’ Day.” # This day shall be an official holiday of the Junior State.